DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE STANDARD OF
PRACTICE OF THE PROFESSION
Review of Patient Charts
The College expert who reviewed the patient charts
in respect of Patient D and others concluded that
Dr. Sweet failed to maintain the standard of practice
of the profession in respect of 15 of the 25 patients
whose charts were reviewed.
Dr. Sweet’s expert concluded that Dr. Sweet failed
to maintain the standard of practice of the profes-
sion in his care and treatment of Patient F, the person
about whom the community social worker had con-
tacted the College on February 25, 2015.
Reassessment Pursuant to August 16, 2013
Undertaking
As a result of a prior College process, Dr. Sweet
entered into an undertaking dated August 16, 2013,
requiring him to undergo a period of clinical supervi-
sion for six months, followed by a reassessment of his
practice. The College assessor, a different family physi-
cian from the College expert who reviewed the patient
charts in respect of Patient D and others, reviewed an
additional 25 patient charts and concluded that Dr.
Sweet failed to maintain the standard of practice of the
profession in respect to 15 patients, in that:
• Dr. Sweet failed to document a patient encounter
with Patient G at which an injection was adminis-
tered and at which he prescribed a medication.
• Dr. Sweet did not provide adequate preventative care
and failed to adequately work up or manage Patient
H’s diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
• Dr. Sweet failed to document that he discussed
the risks and side effects of prescribing Imovane,
a sedative, as a sleep aid to Patient I who was a
90-year-old patient with poor mobility requiring
the use of a cane and had a history of pelvic frac-
ture due to fall.
• Dr. Sweet’s charting and documentation in relation
to Patient J had inconsistencies, including two dif-
ferent chart notes for the same clinical encounter.
• D
r. Sweet’s charting and documentation in relation to
Patient K was inconsistent and he prescribed Myrbe-
triq for enuresis to this 9-year-old patient at a time
when Myrbetriq was not approved for use in children.
• Dr. Sweet’s pediatric patient’s immunizations for Pa-
tient L were incomplete or incompletely documented.
• Dr. Sweet failed to investigate and rule out a possible
G.I. source for Patient M’s anemia, in circumstances
where the patient may have had a hysterectomy.
Dr. Sweet’s expert reviewed the same patient charts
and agreed with the College assessor that Dr. Sweet
failed to maintain the standard of practice of the
profession with respect to three patients (Patients I,
K, and M). Dr. Sweet’s assessor further opined that
Dr. Sweet may have failed to maintain the standard
of practice of the profession in that:
• Dr. Sweet prescribed to Patient N a year-long
course of Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant ten days
after she had been assessed in the emergency room
for depression and without a clinical encounter at
the time of the prescription.
• Dr. Sweet’s pediatric patient’s (Patient O) immuniza-
tions were incomplete or incompletely documented.
On July 12, 2017, Dr. Sweet signed an undertak-
ing and agreed to resign from the College effective
immediately and not to apply or re-apply for registra-
tion as a physician to practise medicine in Ontario or
any other jurisdiction.
ORDER
In light of the undertaking to resign and to not re-
apply, the Discipline Committee ordered that Dr.
Sweet attend before the panel to be reprimanded and
pay costs to the College in the amount of $5,500.
For complete details, please see the full decision at
www.cpso.on.ca. Select Find a Doctor and enter the
doctor’s name.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Sweet waived his
right to an appeal. Dr. Sweet was not present at the
hearing. The Committee will administer the reprimand
on a date that Dr. Sweet is available.
ISSUE 3, 2018 DIALOGUE
49